


Waiting

by Onlymostydead



Series: Fictober 2019 [5]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Absent Characters, Alternate Universe - Champions Live, Angst, Established Relationship, Insecurity, M/M, Marriage Reference, post calamity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-26 16:34:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20933327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onlymostydead/pseuds/Onlymostydead
Summary: Revali knew that this was what would go along with being Link's spouse. In every story, every legend, there's the Hero... And the one waiting for him back home.But now he's here, pacing back and forth in their cabin, doing just that... And considering how he got to this point.





	Waiting

**Author's Note:**

> Fictober Day 6!

The Hero's business. Or the princesses business. Or the best interest of the kingdom. Or maybe it was just something that needed to be done for some farmer somewhere, and it was taking longer than expected. Those always took longer than expected, he found. Maybe it was an errand, a task, a trip - something. It could be anything. Hell, he could have been out with friends, the other Champions, and decided to spend the night away instead of make the long trip back to their own home. Admittedly, it was a long trip to their little cabin, but...

But one thing was for sure: Revali was tired of waiting for Link.

This is what he wanted to avoid when he first came on scene, when he didn't want to fall in love with him. That was what he was avoiding at all costs. Because the princess's appointed knight was doomed to a life of little more than following in her shadow. He was constantly at her every beck and call - he would never have any time free. And if he did, what would it be for? He was practically the poster boy of Hyrule, the wielder of the sword that seals the darkness, Champion of the Hylian people. He was busy in his own right. His free time certainly wouldn't be free for romance, for a partner, for a lover.

And he definitely didn't seem to care about those things anyway, back in those days. 

Hell, sometimes he doesn't seem to care about them now, with all of the waiting he makes me do, he thought to himself. Never here, always on errands for someone else, caring more about some farmer somewhere than...

Revali huffed, pacing back and forth across their little cabin again before peering once more out the window. It was dark out, storm clouds covering the night sky, rain falling in torrents, keeping visibility at a minimum. Link really would be doing the smart, responsible thing by staying at the local stable, where he had been headed to handle some affair or other with someone who lived there. It would be stupid to make the trek all the way back up into the lower Hebra mountains, to where their cabin sat in a secluded spot beyond the Flight Range.

But he wanted him to.

He wanted him to make the effort for him, like he so often did. How many times has Revali flown through inclement weather? How often had he struggled through rain, and snow, and hail, and complained about it but always just for the weathers sake, because it was worth it to be with Link?

He wanted him to. Just to try, like he did. For once.

Because so often he was closer, or the weather was better, or it was possible he could have even borrowed the Sheikah Slate from Zelda to warp himself back, again, and... He didn't. Maybe it didn't even cross his mind, but Revali had spent too many cold nights alone in their little cabin in the Hebra mountains, waiting.

He had spend plenty of time waiting on Link other times, too. In a different way. Challenging him to meaningless fights for honor, waiting for a response that never came. Trying to goad him into arguments and waiting for a reply, to similar outcome.

But then watching, waiting for him to fall asleep when they were all around the campfire just to see him relax for a moment, and realizing that they really weren't that different after all. That they both worked endlessly to get where they were. That they were both exhausted all the time, but neither one let themselves just sleep until the day was fully dealt with. Working themselves to the bone.

Waiting for him to be separate enough from the others to pull him away, so that they could just talk, and that was a conversation that hurt on so many levels, but they had to have it. It broke down barriers, talking with him. Listening to Link, just watching him sign, taking care to put thought into his side of the story completely changed everything for Revali.

And he knew that he didn't hate the Hylian Champion, but...

It wasn't until that conversation that he realized that he truly loved him.

And he started waiting on every little thing.

It felt like he was waiting for Link to breathe, to blink, to laugh, to do anything, no matter the significance. And they still fought, and got angry with each other, and it was still messy, and Revali still caught himself waiting on Link to make it right but he was also waiting for his life to start moving again. It felt like needles had been stabbed through his heart, like his body was used for target practice. 

So they made up. And he was the one to initiate it. Then they were back to waiting - the one thing he didn't want to do.

Because he didn't want to spend the rest of his life being that spouse stuck in the cottage, awaiting the return of the hero. He hated that picture of himself, worrying over some domestic craft, pacing back and forth, telling himself Link would return against all odds. That was why he didn't want to fall in love. That was why he didn't even spare him a glance at first because he knew, he knew that he would fall, and once he did he would fall hard.

And he did.

He did.

But there he was, back to imagining it. Waiting for any moment he could steal Link away for a private second. Because it didn't have to be deep; it just had to be the two of them.

And something told him that Link liked them too.

Stolen moments, little things, any time he just got to look in those pretty blue eyes. He took his breath away. All he wanted to do was hold him, to lean in, to close the distance between them and stop the waiting.

But with how they started? 

He was the one who pushed Link, at first. He was the one who was rude, who was angry, who yelled at him. And now... 

Now he was just waiting on Link.

Not very patiently. It was like an eternity, every time he looked at him was like torture, but-

Waiting on Link.

Waiting-

And then it happened. 

Their foreheads touched, nuzzling together in a kiss, and it was like everything else melted away. Link's hand had grabbed his scarf, pulling him down to his level, the other arm wrapping around his back. Revali wrapped his wings around him, holding him close, gently, gently, waiting to wake up from this beautiful dream.

But it was real. It was real, real, real and that was what he had been waiting for so long. The reality of knowing Link felt the same way about him. 

But they had to break apart eventually.

And Revali was left waiting for any moment they could share, close like that again.

Then the calamity.

Then the waiting.

A hundred years of waiting.

He had never been a patient man. Anyone who knew him could tell you so; that Revali was a great many things, but patience was not exactly one of them. He enjoyed action, moving, going. Doing something about these feelings and emotions and everything boiling up inside-

Revali paced, back and forth across the cabin, looking out the window again, once more seeing nothing but sleet coming down from above. Link wasn't coming home tonight.

A hundred years of waiting.

Up on Vah Medoh, no way in, no way out, watching as the world fell apart beneath him. Dying. Watching helplessly as his friends died, as Link died, as Zelda was trapped in the castle-

Then... Everything went quiet.

Zelda was holding on. She had hope, which meant that she got Link to the Shrine of Resurrection after all, which meant now it was just a matter of waiting.

And waiting.

And waiting.

Revali stalked back and forth across the cabin, talons catching slightly on the hardwood floor. 

He could remember the heartache, the pain, the numbness in his chest for that hundred years, just walking along his divine beast, his Medoh, as a spirit, waiting for Link to return. But he was dead then; it was different. He understood why he was waiting. This could be the last time he would ever see Link.

He was dead, after all.

He had never been a patient man, but he learned patience. He learned how to wait. 

But it wasn't the end, and he came back to life after it was all over and Ganon was dead, and now he was here as the domestic little spouse of the hero, stuck here in the little Hebra cabin, waiting for him. And it made Revali so angry, because-

Because-

Did Link wait for him?

Did Link ever wait for him?

Did Link feel like he was waiting on his every breath? Did he hang off his every word, paying complete attention to every little thing?

Did Link wait for him when he moved? When he was left behind, physically or on an idea, did Link stick with him, or did he get impatient?

Did Link feel like he was waiting for every moment they could get alone, every word, every kiss, every little thing just to keep him alive?

Did Link love him like he did? With every fiber of his being? 

Or did he leave him, waiting in a cabin in the Hebra mountains, never sure whether or not his partner would return? Because he knew the answer to that.

Revali flopped down on their bed, unsurprised to feel tears springing to his eyes.

Was it unfair to hold him to this standard? Probably. It was likely that Link hadn't even considered this. He didn't think these things through like this, and...

Revali just had to wait for him to catch up.

Because he was just out helping people. He was digging ditches for farmers, tracking down ingredients for mothers, helping scientists fix their equipment. All of these people needed help, and who better to come to their aid than the Hero of Hyrule?

Who better to help them than someone so willing, so selfless...

Link was just like that. When it came down to it, he gave his all to everyone he came across. His heart was left with every farmer, every mother, every scientist. All of them had those pieces of the hero, and they wouldn't forget his kindness and generosity. It was sweet. He was good. Such a good person.

Revali wished he could be happy about it.

He married a good man, truly. There wasn't one better in all of Hyrule, that was for sure, and he wouldn't trade him for the world. If he had to die again so that Link could live? He would do it in a heartbeat. Anything he might have to do for Link, anything to earn his love, or to get him back if he were to be taken away, Revali wouldn't hesitate to do.

If he had to die trying, he would fight to get Link back to him. He loved him. He wouldn't just wait for something like that, something that required action.

But sometimes... He cursed. Sometimes the Goddess was cruel, and he wasn't the one working. Sometimes he was the one forced to wait in a secluded cabin in the Hebra mountains, knowing Link wasn't coming home tonight.

It was just how it was. He wasn't coming home. 

He wasn't coming home.

Would he do the same things, Revali had to wonder? Would he fight for him? He had already, but would he do it again? Would he continue to fight for him, or was he already a prize that he had won?

A prize. He scoffed. Isn't that what he was trying to avoid? Being that pretty little hero's spouse, doing his needlework, waiting for the hero to come done for his journeys? Batting his eyes and cooing at his legendary, incredible, amazing spouse?

Disgusting. They were both heroes in their own right. He wasn't a trophy, a prize to be won, something to be set on a shelf in Hebra while he was off solving the world's problems.

And Revali couldn't complain about Link being so damn good. He was so kind and compassionate and good and it was...

It was frustrating. To see his love so clearly on display to everyone else. To see how he treated each person with love, and respect, and care, and gentleness, giving away little parts of himself without thought and turning away with a smile. Never looking back with regret. Never angry, if someone truly was just in need. Link really was just... Good.

And it was frustrating because Revali missed that love.

He missed being showered in attention and affection, Link waiting on him with bated breath. He missed feeling like he was the most special, the most beautiful, the only thing in the world that could possibly occupy his time at any given moment. He missed Link rushing home after being away so that they could be together again, just because he couldn't stand to be apart.

What had happened?

Had he done something wrong?

Or was Link not in love with him like he once was? Or perhaps, like he thought before, he didn't even think about these things. They didn't cross his mind for a moment. 

And if Revali brought them up he was paranoid. Delusional. Just jealous for attention.

Link would never say those things, but as he sat here on the bed, waiting, listening to the rain pour outside, he could imagine him signing it. That this whole thing was imagined. All in his head. They were perfectly in love, and Revali should be content to sit around, doing his domestic needlework, waiting for the stupid, lovely Hero of Legend to come home and sweep him off his feet.

He hated himself, because at the thought of Link coming home, scooping him up in his arms, his heart fluttered. The feathers of his cheeks ruffled.

But he couldn't be anticipating his return if he wasn't here...

Waiting.

It wasn't like anything kept him here, Revali thought to himself with a startling realization, standing up from the bed and beginning to pace once more. Sure, the rain was terrible, but he could fly away to anywhere. A little bad weather had never stopped him before. See how Link likes it getting home to an empty cabin. See if it's so convenient to have a spouse at home when he realizes his freedom to leave.

Rito Village was just down the way, after all. He could just... Go. Stay in the inn. Hang out with the new warriors that were there, nowadays. Teba, and Harth, and that tall, awkward one who was always crying. Get to know them a little better, train them, like he really should be doing as a symbolic leader of his people.

But he didn't belong there. He belonged here, in the past, where Link would scoop him up off his feet and he could pretend like everything was back to normal while they were together. 

Back to normal? Revali scowled, smacking his talons a little harder into the wood floor as he stopped to stand at the window. Rain was still pouring down, so heavily he could barely see out the glass. 

What did normal mean?

There was no normal, for them. They didn't get a happily ever after like in the stories. When they finally confessed to how they felt, the Calamity, Ganon, whatever you wanted to call that bastard, tore them apart. A hundred years he waited. A hundred years! One would assume that the goddess would honor that dedication. That patience, on his part. Learning to sit through the storm to wait for the blessing.

But the blessing never came.

Because Link had forgotten him. Completely, entirely, and he had to wait for him to regain parts of his memories, wait for him to fall in love again-

Wait for all of the steps to fall in order, just like they had the first time. Because he remembered their quarreling. He remembered their disagreements. But he didn't remember waiting for everyone else to fall asleep, sharing coy glances at each other until they could finally talk in private. He didn't remember sneaking away from the castle, flying to somewhere further away and then walking together until morning, counting the hours until daybreak and wishing they would slow down.

But eventually it all did happen, and for that moment everything seemed perfect; it was like everything Revali had ever been waiting for. The two of them were together, in love, and finally: there was no war to fight. They weren't just waiting for Calamity Ganon to rear his head and kill them all. That was finished. Over. Done.

So they got married.

Built a cabin, up in Hebra, in a secluded part of the woods so that they wouldn't have too many people bothering them. If there was one thing Link hated, at least, back before those hundred years, it was unwanted attention.

They didn't even live there together long in that happy, honeymoon phase. He and Link were both quite busy with this and that, and they both understood that. It was fine. Business? That he could understand. 

But there was one difference between the two of them: Revali always, always made an effort to come home.

And now this little cabin didn't feel cozy and hidden away from prying eyes, it felt lonely and cold and distant from all friendship, all other connections.

And he could leave. He could; there was nothing keeping him here. But, whether Link loved him as much as he...

Revali choked back tears.

Whether Link loved him as much as he initially did or not, one thing certainly hadn't changed: he couldn't just leave. Leaving would mean that he didn't love him, and that just wasn't true.

From the looks of it, he was doomed to being that Champion's spouse, just sitting here. Waiting.

And for now the only solution was to go to bed, and hope that in the morning, Link would have returned.

***

The sheets never felt so cold as in the morning, without Link by his side.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr at Supertinywords or Supertinydom!
> 
> Requests are open!
> 
> Comments are love <3


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